A Game, a Dance, a Second Chance
by TwiSlash Unveiled
Summary: What if "Twilight" ended differently? What if Edward and James knew one another in the past?


**TwiSlash Unveiled SLASH Contest**

"**A Game, a Dance, a Second Chance"**

**Pairing: Edward/James**

**POV: Both**

**Rating: ALL stories submitted for this contest are rated M.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. **

**TwiSlash Unveiled, this contest, and the authors of the stories submitted do not intend any copyright infringement.**

**Anonymity Disclaimer:**

**This story is the work of its author and not TwiSlash Unveiled.  
It has been submitted under the TU pen name for the TwiSlash Unveiled SLASH contest only.  
It remains the work of the author. **

**AN: Just to let you know...I'm about to make some E/B fans VERY upset. I'm not apologizing for it. Ever since I watched Twilight for the first time, I've wanted to write this. Now, finally, I have the chance. Go with it. And happy reading!**

**P.S. This is based on the movie, not the book, just FYI.**

**Edward POV**

I caught his scent at the same time I saw him in Alice's mind. It took only moments for his inner voice to catch up with me.

_Edward. Edddddwarddddd…I know you're there._

Oh, God, a voice from my past…from my time as a monster. His voice, his body, his soul, called to me, like a siren. I ran to Bella's side. Even as my mouth spoke to Carlisle on the logistics of getting Bella out of there before he arrived, I knew it was in vain. I knew that there was no way that I could escape him. The words came out in a whisper as I said to myself, too low for even another of the vampires to hear, "I don't know if I _want _to escape him."

Indeed, as soon as he appeared in that field, I knew this was going to become a game.

I kept one eye on the situation, part of my mind on what the other vampires were doing, but the rest of my mind was on James.

_Well, well, well, what have we here, Edward? Taking the straight and narrow now? _I saw in his mind's eye the many times he and I had…

I blinked and looked at him.

_Oh, don't play coy, Edward. Oh, wait, let me guess…you didn't tell your dear 'father' that you liked to play for another team entirely, did you, Edward?_

_Don't do this to me, James…_ I pleaded with my eyes and thoughts, hoping I could get through to him when I could not use words.

_Oh, I see you do remember me, don't you, Edward? Do you remember all the many times we would drain a poor human before playing in their blood? Before I covered you in their blood and fucked you senseless? Before you covered my cock in their blood and sucked it until I came down your throat?_

Shut up, shut up, shut up, I thought as he continued to taunt me. I loved Bella, I was normal, I was good, I was…

_So, has anyone else been able to do for you what I have? Can anyone else make you cum the way I can? _

I heard the woman, Victoria, going on about her curve ball or something and that was when the wind began to blow.

James smelled Bella in the air and everything else went in slow motion as I knelt down into a crouch and growled at him. I would not let him have Bella. If anyone was to have her blood, it would be me. No, Edward! What are you thinking! You love her! You want her in your life! You want her to live out her human life with you!

"Well, well, you brought a snack." _I'm sure you wouldn't mind sharing with your old lover, would you, Edward? Or maybe I could just watch as you drained her? She does smell lovely. _

Words were exchanged. Carlisle and the other one, Laurent, spoke and James, along with his two cohorts left. But as he did, all I could hear was his taunt, _you didn't really think you could out-run me, did you, Edward? You knew I would hunt you down. I may not have made you, but you are mine. Victoria is nothing compared to you, my sweet. You are by far the best lover I've had in my hundred and fifty years, Edward. I will have you again. _

That was the last thought of his I heard for a little while as I began making the motions to get Bella somewhere safe. James would hunt her down; he would kill her. And as bad as it was, I knew it would be my fault. I would be to blame. James would say Bella was to blame for willingly endangering her life by being with me. Perhaps she is to blame.

~*~*~*~

It wasn't until I was on my way to Phoenix that I realized we had played right into his hand. Surely James was smarter than I had given him credit for. Of course he was; he almost had Alice when she was in the mental asylum, would have, too, if it hadn't been for that older vampire.

Of course, to save her from herself, from the hurt, I had never told her. But at the same time, James would have had her back then. How much simpler my life would have been had he had his singer. Alice was…such a pain. But that was neither here nor there. I was stuck with her.

When she called me and told me she failed, that James had lured Bella to the ballet studio, I was furious with her. I had given her one task and she couldn't accomplish it! The urge to rip her head off was no stronger than at this moment.

"Have patience, my son," Carlisle said as he drove, as if sensing my aggravation with my 'sister'.

"I'll just be glad to get to my Bella," I told him.

He placed his hand on mine on my knee. "I know. You will be reunited with her soon."

Yet, as we drove, it wasn't her I really wanted to see. It was James. If he would stop with this game, I would leave Bella and go off with him. If only he wouldn't harm her, we could run away, just him and me, together. My body yearned for him in ways it hadn't for years.

It had been over fifty years since I had seen him last. He hadn't been thrilled when I decided to go back home and test the waters with Carlisle, but he had realized that I didn't belong to him, that I was still a free man.

Times were different then. Homosexuality was almost unheard of in humans and even with vampires it was still done rather low-key. I had only heard of one instance of homosexuals in vampires, the supposed 'brothers' from Romania and they were revered enough not to be questioned about their sexual prowess.

When we arrived, Alice met us at the car with all sorts of excuses, which I brushed off as I raced forth toward the ballet studio, toward my future, whoever it may be.

~*~*~*~

I heard his voice taunting her even as his mind taunted me. _Edward…come out, come out wherever you are. Let us finish her. I've had a taste of her blood and it's delicious, my sweet. _

I let out a growl as the monster in me took over. _My kill! _it screamed. I sped up, hurrying faster toward the end of this game.

I crashed through the door to find him leering over Bella. I dashed over to him, knocking him away and across the room. I looked at Bella, my eyes meeting hers, and I knew that I wasn't strong enough for this to end well for her.

I stared a moment too long before he rushed me and pushed me up against the mirror and it felt so damned good being in his arms once more. His hand went around my throat and with almost a chuckle, and with longing in his voice, he said, "You're faster than the others," he slammed my head against the glass even as his hand caressed my face. "But not stronger."

It was a game we had long-played. We knew he was the stronger of the two of us, knew that he was the dominant in our relationship, but being the submissive, I controlled a lot of the situation. "I'm strong enough to kill you," I said as I threw him off and into one of the free-standing mirrors.

I walked back over to Bella…her scent was calling to me. She was bleeding; the scent obliterated the barrier I'd built between the Edward she loves and the monster within; I was the hunter now. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, her scent filling my dead lungs, causing venom to pool in my mouth.

He came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist. He laid his head on my shoulder and whispered into my ear, "I knew you wanted me still, Edward."

"James, she has a father. We need…"

"We need to let you drink from her. I will stand guard while you feast, my lover." His lips found my neck and he suckled where my pulse-point would have been. "You know I love to watch you eat."

"James…" I panted as his hand dipped down to cup my erection.

"Would you feel better if I tasted her first? If she had no way to live other than be turned?"

"No," I said on a growl.

He chuckled. "Your family is coming. I sense them. Shall we kill her now? Or run away and let her live?"

The beast within me warred. "I…I can't…"

Just then, my family poured into the building. Alice stopped dead. "Edward…what?"

I stood, my head hanging in defeat as Carlisle and Alice dashed over to Bella. I heard a growl behind me and felt James stiffen. "Edward, what is goin' on?" Emmett asked.

"I…" I couldn't come up with anything to say.

"Edward, very slowly, walk away," Jasper said.

"Don't spread your voo-doo on me, empath," James said on another growl.

"Jasper," I said softly. "Step off before you get hurt."

Alice gasped and came over. "Edward, no!"

"Alice, leave," I said. Of course she would have seen my decision.

"Edward, please…" Bella whimpered.

"Everyone out," I said. "Leave me alone with her."

"No," Jasper growled. "You can't be trusted."

"Yeah, and neither can he," Emmett said, his head motioning toward James.

I looked at Emmett and growled. He was threatening my mate. My mate? Yes, it was all too evident, James always had been mine just as I have always been his.

"Ed, man, just…what is wrong with you?"

"You leave him alone," I said. "I told you all to leave."

"Edward…" Bella panted.

"I'm coming, love," I told her softly.

"Edward, my son, you don't want to do this."

"Carlisle, you don't know me, you only think you do. I am not good, I'm a monster. I tried to tell you, tell Bella, but no one believed me."

"You're making a mistake, Edward!" Alice shouted at me.

James moved with deadly precision as he grasped Alice, pulled her to him, and with what looked like a kiss to her neck, ripped her head from her body.

_About fucking time_, I thought with no remorse. Alice had been a thorn in my side for decades now. Life would have been so much easier had the meddling psychic not invaded my every moment, not pushed and prodded and driven me to the hell I was currently in. I really should have let James kill her when he had the chance instead of letting that other vampire change her. If only I hadn't been so selfish at the time.

"Alice!" Jasper screamed. We all watched as in slow motion, Alice's body fell limp to the ground.

With a carnal snarl and a roar, Jasper rounded on James, who was waiting for him. Jasper was a very gifted fighter, he had fought in the newborn wars for over a hundred years, but time with Alice had softened him. Add to the fact that he was being ruled by his emotions, and it took James no time at all to take him down.

"Stop!" Carlisle shouted just as James rounded on Emmett. "Stop! Please don't," Carlisle begged.

James looked at him. "Run away, preacher man. Take the teddy bear with you if you wish for him to live. Leave me and my mate to our kill."

I stood helpless as Carlisle just looked at me. "Edward…"

"I have made my decision, Carlisle. Please let us be."

He let out a sigh and looked at Bella, who was still writhing on the floor. "Can I at least…?"

"No," I said on another growl. "She stays."

He was morose looking as he said, "I'll…I won't clean this up, Edward, so you had better make up some good excuses and…"

"We'll handle it, Carlisle," James said smoothly. "I normally don't leave much of a mess."

"You did up north," he pointed out.

James shrugged. "That was Victoria. I grow tired of her. I will destroy her for you, if that would make you happier."

My maker's thoughts were full of pain as he thought of Esme and the four children she had lost in this night. Carlisle shook his head. "None of this makes me happy, but…" he sighed again. "Very well. Edward, we won't expect you back." His inner voice spoke to me; _I will not welcome you back this time. Good bye, my son._

James' arm went around my waist. "I can look after him, _Father_. We will be fine."

I watched as Carlisle grasped Emmett's arm and yanked him, tugging him out of the building. I heard their inner voices getting softer and softer until they went away.

I felt bad, very bad, that is, until James went over to Bella and dipped his finger into her blood. He brought it over to me and said, "Edward, you know that I only want what is best for you."

"No you don't," I said, not breathing. "You just want to use me."

"No, lover, I have longed for you while you have been gone. You are what has brought me back."

"And what of your toy, Victoria?"

He gave his hand a flip. "She is collateral damage as far as I am concerned. She was a means to an end, a hole to fill. Nothing more, nothing less."

"She is immortal. You have had sex with her. I have always been faithful to you."

He scoffed. "Faithful? I leave you alone for a few years and you go and find a _human_ to fall for."

"It's not my fault," I said softly. "She called to me. And then Alice, in her meddlesome ways, kept going on about how we were meant and shit…"

He smirked at hearing the curse word coming from my mouth and pulled me to him. He sucked his finger in his mouth before pulling me to him, shoving his tongue into my mouth.

I moaned at the flavor of him, of Bella's blood. It was all too much and not enough at the same time. My hips bucked against his and he let out what sounded like a whimper. "Eat, my lover," he purred. "Eat and then I will take you somewhere and will show you just how much I missed you."

I looked away, my nose finding my meal. "James…"

"She is dying, Edward, put her out of her misery."

I walked in a daze over to Bella and knelt before her once more. She was still whimpering and writhing upon the ground. "I'm going to make it better, Bella," I said as I hauled her upper body to me.

"I…love…you, Edward," she whispered.

"Shhh," I said, the monster now taking over. "I love you too," I turned on what she called my 'dazzling' and kissed her tenderly. There was no stopping me now. I kissed down her face to her neck. Her pulse was thumping rapidly and the bleeding had slowed considerably since Carlisle and Alice had applied a tourniquet to the wound.

"Edward…" she whimpered.

"Shhh," I said once more. I licked her neck and she moaned. That was all it took for my erection to come to full attention and with a roar, I clamped down.

My sharp teeth sunk through her skin like butter. It was an explosion of flavor on my tongue and I moaned, loudly as I gently suckled, somewhere in my mind sensing that I wanted to make this last and knowing that it would run out long before I was finished with my fill.

"Yesssss," James hissed as he came closer. I growled and he chuckled. "I don't want to take your meal. Look at me."

I looked at him even as I suckled the food into my mouth. My mouth fell open and I lost a bit of the blood as I watched him. He had taken down his pants and was lounging on one of the mats, stroking his cock. "James…" I breathed.

He grinned and I looked, really looked at his cock. It was covered in blood. "You want it? Come get it."

I let out an inhuman sound and pounced on him.

His hands fisted in my hair as I latched onto him. "Fuck, Edward, yessss. Suck that cock, baby."

I deep-throated him as my hands found his ass. He liked to be the dominant, but on occasion, I would fill him while fisting his massive erection. I did so now, thrusting three fingers into him as I licked and nipped at him.

"God, Edward, yes, you know how I like it, don't you? You like that?"

I hummed my ascent as my other hand fondled his balls. I knew how this worked; I wasn't allowed to get myself off until he told me…not that I minded; he always made it worth my while.

It seemed to take me no time at all and I had him bucking his hips and releasing his cold juices down my throat. He pulled me up to him and licked my face before kissing me, thrusting his tongue back into my mouth. He pulled away and said, "Damn, you taste even better than I remember."

I rubbed my need against him and he shook his head. "Ah-ah-ah, you must finish your meal like a good boy first."

I nodded and walked back over to her body. It was amazing how she had gone from a name to just another pale face. Her heart was barely beating and she was so very weak, but she was still managing to writhe about slightly.

I grasped her once more and hauled her to me. "I'm sorry, love, let me just…" I bit into the other side of her neck and drew out the rest of her life-force before snapping her neck, just to make sure she didn't suffer any further.

I pulled away and looked at James. He had already gathered wood from about the room and had started a fire. Purple smoke was issuing from the flames, a sure sign that he had already disposed of Alice and Jasper's bodies.

"It will be easy enough to make it look like arson," he told me as he fanned the flames.

"And her," I said, gesturing down to the now lifeless body in my arms.

"I will handle her, Edward."

"I feel like I should…"

He put his hand on my shoulder. "No, Edward, you did right by her, not allowing her to hurt anymore. I promise I will be very kind to her."

"Wh-where do you want me to go?" I asked him.

His hand found my face again and he held it gently as he crouched before me. "You go to Montezuma's well…have you been there before?"

I nodded blankly. "Yes, James, I know where that is."

"Good. It will be closed by the time you get there. Wait for me at the overlook, I will be behind you shortly."

"Jamey…" I said, calling him by the nickname I had given him, "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure you need to get out of here? Yes. Am I sure you need to not be a part of this? Yes. Just leave it to me and I'll take care of you, Eddie, you know I will."

He pulled me to him one more time and kissed me tenderly. "I'll be along shortly." I turned and he popped my ass before laughing. I smiled and ran out of the building and into the twilight.

**James POV**

I tossed the remaining pieces of the bodies onto the flames. I regretted Alice's demise only because I would have enjoyed having her, but that was alright, I had my Edward back. I scooped up Bella's body and hurried out into the evening, running to her house quickly enough. I had called Victoria shortly before Bella had arrived at the ballet studio and told her to come the long way to Phoenix, instructing her to come to Bella's mother's house. I was about to kill two birds with one stone.

I took Bella and laid her body down on the kitchen floor. I turned when I heard a sound at the door. "James! You killed her?"

I smiled. "No, I didn't. Edward did."

"Edward? The human's owner?"

"She wasn't a pet, for God sake, Victoria," I said on a sigh. "Look, that's not the point."

Her eyebrow rose. "What is the point, Jamey?"

I reached her and slammed her into the wall with lightening speed. "How many times do I have to tell you _not _to call me that, Victoria?" That name was reserved for my Edward only. Finally, he was mine.

When Laurent wanted to move on to the west coast, I eagerly agreed. Of course I had known where Edward was. I was, after all, one of the most gifted trackers outside the Volturi, and I had tasted his venom. It was easy to find him when I had ingested his venom.

No one but myself knew how my gift worked, but it worked all the better if I had tasted of the vampire in question. When I realized he was with my singer, I almost couldn't stop myself from finding him, but I just hoped he had found happiness and I had lived my life as best I could.

But when I saw him, I couldn't help myself. I had to have him again. He was mine, not that silly little human's! And furthermore, Edward was gay. He may think he's straight, he may want to be straight, he may hope he is straight, but nope. Gay. And that was quite alright, I liked that about him. I myself, was bisexual, and Victoria pleased me well enough, but now I had my Edward back and I didn't need her anymore.

I released her only to pull her to me. "Victoria," I said breathily.

She blinked. She was always mesmerized by me. "Yes, James?"

"I need you," I purred.

"You have me," she said as she knelt before me.

Oh, this would only be too easy. I grasped her hair as she pulled me from the confines of my blue jeans. Her ruby red eyes looked up at me as she began suckling on me, attempting to get me up, but I had already had the best orgasm in years, given to me by Edward. But I let her keep trying as I moved my hands down to her neck.

She moaned as I caressed her skin. She had no clue what was going on. She worked me until I was hard and began deep-throating me. I moaned just a little, pulling her onto me all the tighter, going deeper and deeper down her throat, fucking her mouth. I felt my release coming, surprising even myself as I tightened my grip on her neck and twisted just as I came, spurting cum all over her headless body.

"Fuck," I muttered as I threw her head away from me. It bounced on the floor a few times before landing next to Bella's body.

I tucked myself back into my pants and went about my work. I turned on the gas stove to high and sat a pot of soup on the top of it. I lit a candle near the back door and stole out into the night.

Once I climbed the nearest mountain, scaring a few coyotes in the process, I stopped, knelt, and watched my handiwork. It took a little longer than I thought, but the house blew up in a fiery display.

I stood and dusted my pants off before running out toward Camp Verde and my Edward.

~*~*~*~

I reached Montezuma's Well in about ten minutes, much faster than any human could drive it. I raced up the path to the observation deck and stopped dead in my tracks. There before me, glinting faintly in the moonlight was Edward. His back was toward me, but I saw him stiffen, so I knew he knew I was there.

"Edward," I said softly.

He turned and looked at me. He looked as if he would be crying if he could. As it were, the girl's blood still stained his cheeks, looking like rouge upon his beautiful visage, or perhaps the blood vampires in the movies supposedly wept. I never did understand that. Hollywood had so many things wrong.

"Oh, Edward," I said softly as I went to him quickly. I wrapped him in my arms.

"What did we do, Jamey? What did we do?"

"What we are born to do," I told him as I stroked his hair. "We are vampires, Eddie, we are made to do this. She…she is at peace now. She was a demon, here to torture you."

"She wasn't the demon, I am."

I shook my head. "How can you be? You are light and beauty and I've never seen anything as wonderful as you. You are not demonic, Edward, no more than I. We are different, that's all. But she…she must have had something evil in her to tempt you so. Even Alice, surely you could see the evil in Alice…"

"She was quite annoying," he said softly.

I smiled and kissed him gently. "Edward, you are not evil. We are doing what we do to survive. It's the circle of life, the food chain…"

He laughed and put his head on my shoulder. "Have you been watching Disney movies?"

I laughed too. "Maybe," I kissed him long and hard, thrusting my hips into his.

He whined and thrust into me as well. I knew he would need a release and I was all the more eager to assist him with that.

To my surprise, he dipped down once again, kneeling before me when he stopped. "You smell like _her_," he said, standing back up.

"Edward, it…it isn't what you think."

"You went to her? After we…I…God, I really am stupid. I'm no better than a stupid teenage girl in love with a vampire." He threw his arms up in the air and walked away.

"Edward," I started, catching up to him and grabbing his arm. "Edward, listen to me, please?"

He turned and crossed his arms over his chest, awaiting my answer.

"I needed to clean up," I told him truthfully. "I called Victoria here to finish her off. I needed…" I grasped his arms. "I need _you_, Edward. All the rest of that doesn't mean anything. _You _are what matters. I love you, Edward, I always have. I want you for eternity. I want us to be together, forever."

His eyes held so many questions. "Do you mean it?"

Did I mean it? I had tried to stay away from him for his own good, something I've never done for anyone, not even myself. _Read my mind, Edward. Use your gift, search for the truth. _ I let my love for him flood my mind along with everything that had happened since I left him, including letting him know that Bella was taken care of. After all, cremation was an easy way to go.

"I need you like the blood we drink, Edward." I kissed him violently and he pulled away.

"You really do mean it."

I nodded. "For the first time in my life, I'm telling the truth."

He smiled that sexy crooked smile of his. "Well, you still smell like her. You need a bath, lover."

I grinned. "Oh I do, do I?"

I walked him to the edge of the well. "Think a fall like that would kill us?"

He let out a snort. "No."

"Good," I said before I pushed him. He let out a little scream and I jumped in after him.

We landed in the water and sank to the bottom. I grabbed him and kissed him again, palming his erection through his pants. We broke the surface and he was muttering as I sank back below the water. I pulled his pants from him and engulfed his hardness with my mouth.

"Fuck," he muttered and I smiled.

_You like that, Edward? _I asked in my mind.

"Yes," he called out into the night.

_I'm going to suck you off, my dearest, and then I'm going to fuck you so thoroughly that you'll be begging for me to stop, you'll want to pass out from exhaustion, you'll beg me for more…and then I promise I'll do it all over again. _

I felt him shiver, though I knew he wasn't cold. I wrapped my arms around his waist, my hands traveling over his ass. _You feel this, Edward? This belongs to me. Your ass will forever be mine. I can't wait to have my dick buried inside you. _

That, along with my teasing him, was all it took for him to cum. I sucked him deep into me, cleaning him off. He tasted so good, almost as good as the blood we drank.

I came back up and smirked as he grabbed me and kissed me. "Now, get yourself out for a few moments and moon-bathe, baby. I'm just going to swim a bit."

I pushed away and watched as he took strong, deliberate strokes to the edge of the water. He stood up on a rock and peeled off the rest of his clothing. I took mine off as well and tossed them onto the same rock. He laughed and caught them, laying them out so they could dry.

I took my time swimming around the huge area. The water was far too toxic for humans to drink or swim in, but of course, that didn't bother us. We were impenetrable to diseases of any kind.

I finally surfaced near a large rock and to my surprise, Edward was lying on his stomach, his head lying on his arms, watching me. "Edward?"

"You are so beautiful," he said with a smile.

I lifted myself up and kissed his lips. "So are you."

"Jamey, please," he said suddenly sounding quite urgent.

"Do you need me again so soon, Edward?" I asked him.

"More than you know," he said as he hauled me out of the water.

I landed lightly on the rock next to him and it took him only a moment to straddle my waist and bend to kiss me once more. "Make love with me, James," he begged me gently.

"Of course, my lover," I said as I slid him onto my length. "Is this how you want it," I asked as my now hard erection pressed into him.

"Yes, Jamey, please."

He planted his feet on either side of my waist and bounced up and down on my cock. I grabbed his dick and palmed it, keeping my eyes on his all the while.

They were rimmed just slightly red from his singer's blood, and I knew come the morrow, we would need to eat again. If he wanted to maintain his vegetarian lifestyle most of the time, that would be fine with me as long as he didn't ask me to partake in that. Ugh, deer? How horrid.

I played with his balls with one hand and then moved up to tease his nipples while still pumping his cock.

He started groaning and clenching his ass against me, but I wasn't ready for this to end yet.

I flipped us so that I was lying atop his back, his body making a slight dent into the stone beneath us. He let out a gasp of surprise and I bit down on his neck lightly as I thrust into him hard and fast. He let out a primal yell and started pushing against me.

"Yes," I grunted. "You like that, don't you, lover? You like my cock filling your ass?"

He nodded with a whimper and began grinding his own cock into the rock, trying to get some friction. "Poor baby," I whispered against his ear before I licked it. "Do you need something else?"

"Your hand…" he panted. "I need your hand on me."

I pulled him up by his hair so that we were both kneeling upon the rock. My hand fisted around his member as I continued pumping into him. We were bucking and thrusting and growling as our primal urges were released.

We called out one another's names as we both came and I bit into his neck as I climaxed, marking him as my own.

He surprised me, however, when he turned and bit me as well, marking my neck in the same spot he was now marked. "Mine," he growled.

I put my forehead to his. "Yours, forever."

**Fifty Years Later – Edward POV**

"Carlisle?" I asked as I saw my maker walking along the streets of Paris.

"Edward?" he asked.

I smiled and clasped him in a hug. "How are you? How is Esme?"

"Good, she should be coming along…oh, there she is."

Esme walked toward me with a smile and a hug as well. "Edward! How wonderful to see you! You look so very happy! Are you still…"

I smiled and fingered the ring on my left hand. James and I had made it official once gay marriage was legalized, then we went to the Volturi and had it approved by them. Aro wanted us to join him, but James told him no on behalf of both of us and we were set free with the provision we would visit and show them how gay marriage amongst vampires was truly going. "We're doing great, as a matter of fact…"

James walked up then, bringing me a single rose. "For you, baby," he whispered as he kissed me tenderly.

Esme giggled slightly and said, "James, it's a pleasure to see you, and under very pleasant circumstances as well."

"Ma'am," he said, bending at the waist to kiss her hand. "It is a pleasure to see you as well."

I smiled and we made small talk for a few moments before I asked, "How are Emmett and Rosalie?"

"They're doing very well," Esme said. "They have adopted a human child. Carlisle found her mother dying and he was able to save the baby. Rosalie has taken to the role of mother well."

"Good for them," I said. "It is time Rosalie found some happiness."

She looked at Carlisle and they shared a smile. "Well, Rosalie has some other issues to attend to. It turns out that the child is the imprint of one of the wolves from the Quilute pack."

"No shit," I said, surprised.

She nodded. "Yes, and though they are sworn enemies, they are having to work together for the good of the child. Rosalie has finally admitted that having a wolf for a mate could prove to be beneficial as the child is very clumsy. She's a total sweetheart, though."

"What did they name her?"

"Annabella Emaline McCarty Cullen."

"Bella?" I asked, surprised.

Carlisle shrugged. "She has dark brown curly hair and brown eyes. Rosalie just thought that it was appropriate."

"Emmett loves her to pieces," Esme put in. "He calls her ABC. Jacob calls her 'Anna-banana'. They are so cute together."

"Jacob?"

"Black; the wolf, Jacob Black. He is the alpha of the tribe. He saw her quite by accident and thought that Emmett was going to eat her," Carlisle explained.

"He didn't realize Emmett was 'playing' vampire," Esme told us. "Once things were explained, I thought Rosalie would rip him apart quite happily, but now she and Jacob have settled on a love/hate relationship. It's…complicated."

"I'll bet," I said, only half interested now. My nose had caught a scent of something quite delicious. "It was really wonderful seeing you two, but James and I have to go now."

"Of course, come see us anytime. We miss you, Edward." Esme hugged me one more time before Carlisle clasped my hand.

I watched them walk away and James said, "Eddie, why did we get rid of your family so easily?"

I smirked and crooked a finger at him. He followed me down a deserted alley and I followed my nose to a young man, no more than seventeen. "Ahhh," James said. "Do you want to play with your food?"

I pulled him to me and kissed him roughly. "I want to do more with him than eat him."

"Naughty boy," James said. "But I do like the way you think."

We stalked toward the young man, fully intending to use him and eat him before we made wild crazy love over the dead body.


End file.
